Unbroken
by Im a Skyscraper
Summary: 16 year old Gabriella Montez has a difficult life. She is not her normal self at school. She puts on an act at school but is her normal self at home. Will a project from drama class, where she is paired up with Troy save her?


**Here's my new one-shot. It's a HSM and WOWP crossover.**

**Oh, and the pairs are: Troy/Gabriella, Taylor/Chad, Ryan/Alex.**

**Based on the song: Unbroken by Demi Lovato**

_Locked up tight  
>Like I would never feel again<br>Stuck in some kind of love prison  
>And threw away the key<br>Oooh, oooh_

Gabriella Montez is walking into her East High home. Gabriella is 16 years old and always wears black. Gabriella pulls her hood up and covers her wrists with her sweater's sleeves. Gabriella has cuts all the way up and down her left arm, since she is right handed. Gabriella looks to her right, at her cousin Alex Russo, who moved in with Gabriella for the school year. It is November 9th, 2011 and Alex is listening to her iPod ignoring people's stares. Alex is 18 years old and is repeating this year since she missed 6 classes. Gabriella sees a counsellor every month for an hour.

_Terrified  
>Until I stared into your eyes<br>Made me start to realize the possibilities_

Gabriella is sitting next to Troy Bolton, who is 17 years old, in drama class. Gabriella stares at the teacher, Ms. Darbus like she grew two heads.

"Repeat?" Gabriella snaps, keeping up her act. Gabriella acts like the type that doesn't care about school or anything, but in reality she does.

"You are to be paired up and I will assign the pairs a scene from Romeo and Juliet. Got it Ms. Montez?" Ms. Darbus answers.

"Uh... ya?" Gabriella rolls her eyes.

"Good. You are paired up with Mr. Bolton" Gabriella narrows her eyes and sighs.

"Whatever" Gabriella gets handed a copy of the book and she snatches it up.

_I'm gonna love you like I've never been broken  
>I'm gonna say it like it's never been spoken<br>Tonight, tonight I'm letting go, go, go, go  
>I'm gonna give it like it's never been taken<br>I'm gonna fall like I don't need saving  
>Tonight, tonight I'm letting go, go, go, go<em>

Gabriella is sitting at home looking over the famous balcony act that she and Troy have been assigned. Troy is supposed to come over at 5pm, which it is 4:58pm. Gabriella leans against her pillows in her track pants and t-shirt. Just then the doorbell rings through the house. Gabriella groans, but stands up as she slips her black hair into a ponytail. Gabriella walks down the stairs as Alex opens the door.

"Hey" Gabriella hears Troy's voice greet.

"Hi?" Alex asks confused holding a can of Pepsi.

"I'm here to see Gabriella" Alex nods as Gabriella steps into view.

"Come in" Gabriella whispers as she turns away and makes her way upstairs again, but with Troy following.

Troy is beyond shocked. Gabriella is wearing blue track pants and a purple t-shirt. As Troy walks into Gabriella's room, he sees some artists that he thinks are good. On the posters, there is Katy Perry, Lady GaGa, Usher, B.o.B, Paramore, Nickelback, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Demi Lovato, etc. There are even posters of movies and TV shows.

"Wow" Troy whispers, which causes Gabriella to face him.

"If you say a word I will beat the crap out of you" Gabriella threatens. Troy looks at the shorter girl but nods.

"I won't" Gabriella nods and sits down on her purple sheet bed. Troy sits down at the end causing Gabriella to laugh.

"You can sit up here with me" Gabriella smiles. Troy took notice that Gabriella's eyes are shining and not dead to the world, like at school. Troy moves up toward her and leans back against the pillows like she is.

_So played out  
>The same lines with a different face<br>But there's something in the words you say  
>That makes it all feel so real<em>

Over the next few months, Troy and Gabriella have bonded. Gabriella is currently sitting in her normal seat in the counsellor office.

"So, tell me Gabriella. How is your home life?" Gabriella's counsellor Brian asks. Gabriella sighs and shakes her head.

"Dad is cheating on mom like normal. Mom is a workaholic, Alex is bitchier than normal" Gabriella answers honestly. Brian nods looking at the tiny girl in front of him.

"Tell me about your parents. Do you ever talk to them?"

"No. That last time I talked to them was when I was 8"

"What about school? Do you still put on that bad girl act?"

"Yes" Gabriella looks down, "I have made a friend though" Brian smiles and nods for Gabriella to continue, "His name is Troy Bolton. He has been friendly to me" Brian grins.

"How's your left arm?" Gabriella's eyes fills with tears. She lifts her sleeve and shows him, her cuts. Brian looks closely at them but takes notice that there are no new ones "have you stopped?"

"Kind of" Gabriella shrugs her shoulders.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I haven't cut since last month" Brian smile grew.

"That's amazing Gabriella" Gabriella smiles her first smile of the day. Brian takes notice that Gabriella is getting better, "now it's my question to you. Do you think you are still broken?" Gabriella starts to think of who she was before she met Troy, and became his partner, to now.__

_I'm gonna love you like I've never been broken  
>I'm gonna say it like it's never been spoken<br>Tonight, tonight I'm letting go, go, go, go  
>I'm gonna give it like it's never been taken<br>I'm gonna fall like I don't need saving  
>Tonight, tonight I'm letting go, go, go, go<em>

"No. I think I am unbroken again" Gabriella answers.

"Do you love Troy?" Gabriella thinks again and then nods.

"I think I might" Gabriella answers honestly.

"Are you going to tell him?" she shrugs her shoulders. Brian smiles, stands up and opens the door. Gabriella looks at the door and is shocked.

_No need for me to run, run, run  
>You're making me believe in everything<br>No need to go and hide, hide, hide  
>Gonna give you every little piece of me<em>

There is Troy Bolton. Troy smiles at Gabriella.

"Hey Gabs" Troy walks over and hugs her. To her surprise Troy kisses her, "I love you too" Troy whispers against her lips. Gabriella grins and kisses Troy back.

After the kiss, Troy stares at her.

"Will you be my girlfriend Gabs?" Gabriella nods eagerly.

"I would love to" Gabriella answers with a grin.

"Good. Now I can introduce you to my friends"

_I'm gonna love you like I've never been broken  
>I'm gonna love you like I've never been broken<br>I'm gonna love you like I've never been broken  
>I'm gonna say it like it's never been spoken<br>Tonight, tonight I'm letting go, go, go, go  
>I'm gonna give it like it's never been taken<br>I'm gonna fall like I don't need saving  
>Tonight, tonight I'm letting go, go, go, go.<em>

Gabriella walks with Troy to the lunch table in June. Today is the last day of school and 5 months ago, Gabriella has stopped seeing Brian. That was the day that Troy came in, kissed her and even asked her to be his girlfriend. The week after that, Gabriella has decided it was time to show the school, who she really is. The girl who she is at home. Gabriella joined the yearbook club, volleyball team and the math club.

Gabriella sees her cousin making out with Ryan and Taylor and Chad doing the same. Troy picks up a fry and Gabriella does so as well. They throw them at the two couples with grins in their faces.

Troy looks at Gabriella as she is eating her lunch and laughing with her friends. Gabriella is truly UNBROKEN, despite her past.


End file.
